California news publishers and Big Tech companies appear to be inching toward compromise on a controversial bill that would require Google and huge social media platforms to pay news outlets for the articles they distribute. However, he said, the demise of journalism harms democracy: "Thus, we have an obligation to find a way to support reasonable, credible journalism." The legislation, known as the "California Journalism Preservation Act," would require digital platforms to pay news outlets a fee when they sell advertising alongside news content. The bill is sponsored by the California News Publishers Assn., of which the Los Angeles Times is a member. "The bill would ... break the fundamental and foundational principles of the open Internet, forcing platforms to pay publishers for sending valuable free traffic to them," Zaidi said.

Source: Los Angeles Times June 27, 2024 09:12 UTC